Monday, October 5, 2015

CD/DVD Review: Slayer Comes Roaring Back With The Unforgiving "Repentless"

As one of the "Big 4" of thrash metal music, Slayer has never really broken through to the mainstream, but that's exactly how they and their fans like it. Their sound has stayed, pretty much the same throughout their 35 year career. Hard hitting drums, screaming vocals and shredding guitar solos that you wish would never end. On September 11th, the band released their 12th studio album, "Repentless." It debuted at #4 on the Billboard Album chart (their highest ever chart position), which displayed the loyalty their fans have to their music. It is also the first Slayer album not to feature the band's original guitarist Jeff Hanneman, who died of liver failure in 2013. Exodus guitarist Gary Holt stepped in to the guitar duties on this album alongside the everlasting Kerry King.

The new album features 12 pulse-pounding, head-banging, thrash-loving songs that are hard to believe come from a thrash metal band that has been around since the early eighties. Beginning with "Delusions Of Saviour," the band prepares you with what's to come with this two-minute instrumental. Then, the familiar screams of Tom Araya in "Repentless" make you know that Slayer is back and ready to take over. The deep, dark metal groove of "Vices" is led by the thunderous rhythm of Paul Bostaph, who makes his first appearance on a Slayer album. They bring out the evilness of "Cast The First Stone" with the crunching guitar duo of King and Holt, before descending further into hell with the dark lyrics of "When The Stillness Comes." The album does contain one of last songs written by guitarist Jeff Henneman, "Piano Wire," which perfectly supplies the band's battle cry, "never surrender." The album finishes with the fist pounding "Pride In Prejudice" as they mix tempos to keep the energy going full blast.

The new album was released on vinyl, as a standard CD and in a deluxe format that includes a DVD. The the DVD, features Slayer's appearance at the 2014 Waken Festival in Germany. The band was one of the headliners of the festival and the crowd is ready for them. Their 50-minute set features many of their classics, "Seasons In The Abyss," "Raining Blood" and "Angel Of Death," which they dedicate to their late-guitarist. Also in included on the DVD is a 45-minute documentary on the making of the album which gives fans a little glimpse into the creative process behind the music. Slayer are heading to Japan at the beginning of October, before closing out the year with a bunch a tour dates all over Europe. To find out more about their new album "Repentless," please visit slayer.net.